Experimental Mishap
by ethereal collision
Summary: A boring love life and a suggestive claim—just what was Satoko to do when both aspects tirelessly nagged at her? --- Chapter 28 onwards.
1. Chapter 1

I asked permission, okay? ^^||| This just HAD to be posted in here...

So yes, I like Girl Friends. And apparently, the one who made this does too. ^^

Now, without further ado...

-o0o0o0o-

Post-Volume 4 stuff. XD …my take, at least. After chapter 28, I regained better hope for SugixTamamin…I just hope it delivers. =)) What, with all that "I'll always be here!" stuff that kind of posed as something of a setup for future purposes (but I might just be reading in it too much…I'm wearing Yuri goggles after all…XD) …not to mention the joy of canon AkkoxMari. We need another couple! The manga is called Girl Friend**S** (get it? PLURAL! XD) for Pete's sake! …okay, not really making sense, but you know where I'm coming from…right? RIGHT? =A=

**Note 1** (LONG, but very crucial…I think): Studying Milk's map, their school is near Ichigaya and Kudanshita. So, both Akko and Mari use Ichigaya (the same express transit) to get to their respective places ([Akko: Kinshicho], [Mari: Kitansenju])…Mari, having a farther place than Akko's. Now, Mari's route for Ichigaya includes a stop at Kinshicho, where they most likely meet up every morning before going to Ichigaya. As for Sugi and Tamamin, the reason I think why they're mostly together is because ( this one, I assumed…since Tamamin's from Northeast Kanoi, and Sugi's from Azabujuuban) they both use Kudanshita for express. They probably meet up on the way to school after getting down from Kudanshita. Ichigaya and Kudanshita however, are one station away from each other, so explains why both pairs don't meet each other when coming to school. Oh, Shinagawa is close to Azabujuuban. Just saying. =)) …haaaa, I hope that cleared things a bit…^^;;;

**Note 2: **_Italicized_ words are usually for thoughts in my works…the ones inside quotation marks are for flashbacks of something though. XD And the ones in between normal sentences are probably just for emphasis. XD I use italic a lot, huh? =))

Disclaimer: I wouldn't want to own Girl Friends even if I was given a chance, Milk has done a masterpiece…I'll only destroy it with my crappy-corny skillz. =))

Last one…I just noticed…Sugi HATES otaku, right? AND SHE BORROWED MANGA FROM TAMAMIN?!

* * *

A big sigh escaped her lips—which was a shock, even to herself. Classes at this time of year kind of distracted her, especially when the leaves started falling down on their rather tidy school grounds. The way they swung with the wind carelessly, looking almost melancholy as they fell…it fascinated her. Moreso than her class that only consisted of talks on how to solve endless numbers and immeasurable, distorted shapes. Staring eagerly outside the window, Satoko then figured that she was utterly bored, not only now, but all this while. Really, what had she been doing?

With someone of her caliber, one would think that she would want nothing else. She already possessed the things most women would die to have; the looks, the smarts, the height, the posture, you name it. Having five boyfriends that all accepted her and still adored her was not something an everyday girl would be able to pull off normally as well. Her circle of friends was an interesting bunch too, they were nothing alike, but they stuck together like glue. One of them always had to take retests, another one had a hopeless and doubtful hobby, and another one was shy and clueless beyond reason. Despite all this, her friends seemed a lot happier than she was, and she wondered why.

It was not long until the bell rang, indicating that classes were over for the day. She leisurely tidied her things before leaving for the door. The events that occurred after were almost mechanical, it scared her. All five boyfriends would flood her messages, all proposing that they go out, or something else. They would offer even half of their monthly allowances just to give her an extra special treatment—in retaliation to competition—as one of them puts it, "that would one day win Satoko-chan's affections and pick me as the favorite". She tried her best not to burst out in giggles after that. If she were to be honest however, none of them ever really made her heart jump. Things that would mostly happen in one of Tamamin's manga wherein a girl would blush madly, would go doki-doki, for that one guy who doesn't even look too good. Come to think of it, she never even had a heart-racing confession like she did with her first love when it came to her current boyfriends.

_They all just flocked to me like birds…_

"Hey, Sugi-san!" A voice cheerfully called out to her.

She must have been really inattentive if she hadn't recognized that mass honey blonde immediately. "Oh, Akko, hello there." _Hn? Mari-chin's not with her?_

"You look kind of spaced earlier, boyfriend problems again?" The shorter lass playfully teased, accusingly pointing a finger at the other girl.

As if ignoring her, she asked her earlier thought. "Where's Mari-chin? You're not together today?"

It never got old, Akko's reaction. They've been going out for a while, but she still manages to blush like a tomato over things that involved her 'girlfriend'. To this, Satoko never failed to let out a smirk of amusement. She watched the girl fidget shyly, eyes darted all over the place as she tried to speak. It was really adorable, in her opinion.

"Um…you see…it's almost our second month together…and…I just…wanted to buy her a present..." She played with her dainty fingers in a way to rid her of the embarrassment of revealing her plans to the mischievous Sugi-san.

Satoko had a face that clearly said; "Awww! That's so sweet!" and she did not give effort to hide it. The things they did never ceased amaze her. It never went short of passion, innocence, trust…and if she might add, cuteness. It was so endearing, that she sometimes can't help but feel envious. As a matter of fact, this was not the first time she felt that way. Even with the harm and consequences of their unwelcomed relationship, it looked so perfect.

"…wh-what? It's not that weird…is it?"

She must have appeared to be staring if Akko reacted like that. "No. I think it's very thoughtful and charming of you." She gave a smile of encouragement. "Maybe something more than kissing will result from this?"

"Wh-wh-wh-wha…" Satoko could've sworn on her perfectly manicured fingers that she saw steam coming out of Akko's head while she stammered helplessly.

"My, you haven't? That's surprisingly timid of you."

"S-Sugi-san!"

Fits of lighthearted chuckling escaped her; it was so fun to tease Akko.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was just teasing you…"

"Mou…"

They started walking in cheerful chatter, discussing things left and right before they reached their parting junction. Akko would talk about buying clothes one moment, and then would mouth things about Mari and how adorable she is the next second. The way she would number the memorable events they shared, while putting both her hands against her cheeks as she blushed, Satoko felt like a proud mother to her successful daughter. The girl was so in love, nothing else mattered. Not even her in this case. This was a normal thing, and not at all bad with the right approaches—which Mari and Akko were naturally good at. Something like this, was what she often fancied experiencing, for there was not a time she found herself looking like the fool of love. Sure, she had relationships, had kisses, even had sex—but there was never an ephemeral feeling remotely akin to _affection_. At this revelation, she audibly sighed. She really won't be finding her fated person, huh?

"_Don't worry! No matter how hard things get, I'll always be here!"_

She stopped in her tracks as those words randomly popped in her head. What the heck?

"What's the matter, Sugi-san?" Akko asked, a tone of concern in her voice.

"Oh…um…yes. I mean, nothing. It's nothing." Lame as it sounded, it was the best she could think of answering at the moment.

A skeptic look was shown to replace the worry from the chestnut haired girl's face. "…I'd ask more, but I guess I'll leave it for now. See you, Sugi-san." She ended up saying after the junction was in sight.

"Good luck, Akko. Bye." She waved gracefully as the other girl nodded before taking off.

_When. _The development of the earlier events came as a shock to her. Akko wouldn't pick up anything unless it was blatantly pointed out to her. Was she that obvious? Was her sigh that loud? Does love make one's senses sharper or something? And what was Tamamin's voice doing in her head? It couldn't have been some kind of foreboding sign to the cure for her constant sighs, could it?

"Ugh, forget it…" Satoko finally murmured, looking a bit frustrated.

_I did not just think of that otaku as my potential lover…NO WAY._

Convinced that she was just being rubbed off too much by Akko and Mari's romance, she continued her stroll to the station. Since today was a not necessarily a rush hour, she wouldn't have to worry about perverts or people pushing and squeezing themselves into the train JUST for a seat or two. The noticeable amount of couples that were increasing by the minute on her route to the train was something she could not ignore, try as she may. Perhaps it was also of the fact that she was the only obvious single entity out of those lovey-dovey pairs. Where were her boyfriends when she needed them?

Grunting inaudibly, she was reminded of the messages from earlier, she hasn't decided who to go out with that day. She pulled out her phone in effort to reply, but was suddenly leaning to the idea of ignoring each one of them, as they never did anything new anyway. Coming to a decision, she started pressing a few keys, forming a short message that said; "Sorry, I'm busy today." and then setting them to be sent to all five familiar recipients. Once done, she pressed the 'send' button, feeling strangely proud of herself for some reason.

Reaching Kudanshita station, a weak buzz of people welcomed her. It was a good sign, until somebody called out to her…the voice too—unique to be anyone else's.

"Yahho~ Sugi-saaan!" The girl called out in a sing-song tone.

"Oh…Tamamin…you're here too." Satoko managed to blurt out.

"Umu. What's this? You forgot that I take the same station or something?" Tamami asked, feigning a look of insult.

"No…" She trailed off, looking elsewhere. "Heading home?"

"Nope. I have a shift today." The change of mood was evident as she explained.

"Oh…what time will you be off?"

"Hnn? Nine, probably?"

Heading towards the platform, they walked in silence. The only sound that remained was their heavy footsteps and the voice from the speaker warning passengers to not step on the yellow line. It was then when the pigtail-haired girl started to speak again; "Why'd you ask? It's not like you need it." She did not wait for an answer anyway as she began to run to the car bound for Shinagawa that magically appeared all of a sudden.

"Um, then…see ya, Sugi-san!" Tamami turned her back one last time and waved at the taller girl before sprinting off.

The long haired girl angled her head sideways, an attempt to rid herself of her habitual sighing. _Really_, what was she thinking? Seeing the otaku now made her more confused as to why she ever thought the girl was a prospective—dare she say it—lover. Actually…didn't she just convince herself that it was just a Mari-Akko-like influence? They were, after all, a big example of lesbians. She was merely being swayed by their strong, amorous air, which resulted to this one-time mind-boggling disaster of a thought. There was this nagging feeling however, and she couldn't leave it…although this was not the right time to be going over morals, or gender orientation, it kept circling around her unexpectedly baffled mind. She was already decided, wasn't she? She was straight, and—it's not like her friends were doing something immoral…if anything, their bond is a lot more pure than any of the couples she knew. Except…there will always be society to go against it. She knew she won't, but she can't assure of the former.

**The number 3 train bound Azabujuuban will depart at 4:05…**

"_Don't worry! No matter how hard things get, I'll always be here!"_

There it was again. Playing in her head again and again like a broken record. It never seemed to leave her thoughts after the otaku said it—the words would either pop out at the most random of times or in moments wherein she laments over her boring love life… What was she to make of this? Was her sub consciousness really suggesting that she should go and take that vague offer of hers? And what are the odds of rejection? It's not like Tamami was interested in her, she said those things out of friendship—which was really heart-warming if she might add…

Anyway…

She could take this as some kind of experiment, a challenge. She was at an age where things like these most likely occur too, so it wouldn't be too sudden. There was also the excuse of attending an all-girls school to make it look like a common thing for her. And they won't essentially be indiscreet about it either. Once she is satisfied, or become enlightened, they could both pretend it never happened, no? They would call it a phase and forget about it in no time. She was sure she will, so in the case where the other party didn't, a thick manga would always be the ultimate answer. Otakus are simple. Thinking on it, where in the world did the entire plan—detailed too—come from? The plan was sound, and very well thought-of. Truth be told, it was a bit alarming as to how she came up with it. But no matter, the biggest question now, is how does she partake this to Tamami?

---

"Curry at table 4, Tamamin!"

"Yes!"

It was definitely busy that day, so she was relieved to have her rollerblades with her. Two of their waitresses turned up sick, so she had to work for two people all this time. Why she was tasked to do it, she didn't know. While she did not actually mind working loads, she was already feeling the tiredness…and there were still two hours left until her shift was over. There was no stopping the orders, so she just trudged on, doing what she can.

_For Fuyu-Comi! Fight, Tamamin!_

Passing through one table, she felt someone grab her behind. It was a shady-looking guy who winked at her when she turned to glare. It was growing pretty frequent lately, and it bothered her so much. For it was not only her, her fellow workers were having the same problems too. Bad thing was, they can't really complain about it without proof or witnesses. Just then, the same guy startled whistling while staring rudely at her.

"Nice rack." He whispered coolly.

Tamamin just rolled her eyes as she skated her way back to the counter for the new orders. She'll just have to be patient for two hours and this'll be over—she chanted herself that as she went around the designated tables to serve them their orders. If she could, she could've just blasted that guy with some _Tatsumaki-Senpū kyaku _or Master Spark. Boy, was she tempted. Back to reality, a slap or two was something that ought to send him to proper senses.

"Katsudon in table 10!"

"Got it!"

…

"Otsukaresama!" A bespectacled man in his mid-thirties told his surprising low number of employees, while wiping the counter clean.

"Thank you very much." The girls chorused, as they wiped the tables at moderate speed.

One girl did not answer, as she was sweeping the floor eagerly, seemingly in a hurry.

"Good job, Sekine-kun. You worked the hardest today. Keep it up."

_There's an anime at 9:30! I better pick up the pace if I want to see it! _Words from her manager did not seem to reach her as the pigtailed girl swept with unbelievable vigor, making sure she wasn't missing a spot as she swept the mop around. The poor, ignored man just sweatdropped and shrugged in humor at his young worker, it was at least a treat that she worked so diligently.

Straightening up, Tamami inspected her work. Satisfied, she ran to her quarters and immediately changed. Her speed rivaled someone who was being chased to her deathbed by a sword and a gun. Once she was done, she bid her thank yous and goodbyes to both co-workers and boss, and soon ran out of the door hastily.

_Twenty minutes left!_

"Good evening, Tamamin."

She looked for the source of voice only to find her friend leaning on a nearby wall. "S-Sugi-san? What brings you here?"

"I was waiting for you. Your shift is over, I take it?" She asked casually.

"Why? …but yeah. Just now."

Knowing she'd ask, Satoko purposely dodged the question and asked one of her own. "I'm heading home as well, let's go together?"

"Do you take same route as me?" The auburn haired girl queried.

"Yup. I get down at Akabanebashi."

"Oh. Okay…"

Recently, the nights were becoming colder. But that was to be expected, as winter season was nearing. The streets of Shinagawa still bustled with life even at that time of night. Tamami was used to it, as she always went home this time or later. She tends to walk on her own, so this was the first time she had someone walking with her. "So Sugi-san—

"Hey, hey…isn't it about time you called me by name?" The other girl reasoned.

"Eh? Well sure but…I got so accustomed to calling you Sugi-san, so I can't immediately…you know, call you differently. Ehehe." Placing a hand behind her head, she smiled sheepishly.

"Fine, I'll accept that."

"I wonder what suits you…Satoko-chan? Satoko-chin? Sacchin?"

Something must have sounded wrong once Tamami started roll-calling the possible names for her, she can felt some kind of weird pull from somewhere at the moment her name was uttered from the other's mouth. It was a mix of confusion, flattery and…peculiarity.

"C'mon, make it sound normal…"

"I will try my best, your Excellency." She dubbed in mock attempt at royalty.

Fallen autumn leaves flew freely as the wind picked up. Both girls laughed and started kidding with each other, not really minding nature's play before their eyes. The way the leaves mindlessly followed whatever pattern the breeze made them appear almost magical through the night sky. It was a sight to behold, Satoko even felt like dancing once she saw this. It was then when she decided that the moment was right— or at least, that's what it felt to her. She decided to cut to the chase, the whole reason of her being there in the first place.

"Hey, Tamamin…"

"Hnn?"

"Let's go out." She hoped that didn't sound too weird.

"Where?"

Twitching, she rephrased. "I meant—go out with me. Let's become a couple."

………

DUN DUN DUN~!!!

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

Awright, here are notes for terms you might want to understand. XD Since…yeah, I keep referencing and all that jazz. XD Or I plainly want to use the Japanese words since I find it appropriate for the mood…or something.

Doki-doki – SFX for thump-thump…you know, the heart pound thing…

Fuyu-Comi – Winter Comiket.

Tatsumaki-Senpū kyaku – Tornado whirlwind kick (Street Fighter, 'nuff said).

Master Spark – Marisa Kirisame's signature move (Another game, Touhou. 'Nuff said).

Otsukaresama – Loosely translated as; "Good job!"

So…uh…yeah. XD Happy New Year, you guys!

-o0o0o0o-

Would you look at that, this person likes Touhou too...8DDD


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, so I was wrong. I missed reading that it was Akihabara they were riding on chapter 28, so the Kinshicho rendezvous is crossed out. XD …that was so stupid of me. =)) Explaining further, Akihabara is a stop for both Mari and Akko before reaching Ichigaya. We can take this as; Akko, from Kinshicho rides the train to Akihabara and waits for Mari there. This doesn't change Mari's route as she also has a stop at Akihabara. Okay, I'm done talking. =))

**Note: **_Italicized_ words are usually for thoughts in my works…the ones inside quotation marks are for flashbacks of something though. XD And the ones in between normal sentences are probably just for emphasis. XD I use italic a lot, huh? =))

* * *

Dead on her tracks, the pigtailed lass stared at the taller girl incredulously a few seconds after she stated her offer. "Sugi-san…did you hit your head?"

_I probably have. _She could've answered, but that would only complicate the situation more.

"Although, I have an idea on what you're up to…"

"…you do?" Satoko found herself asking.

Tamami nodded. "It might not be too accurate, but you're bored. Despite having five boyfriends, you don't feel the real thrill of a girl in love. And since you're at an age where one tends to experiment—also given the condition of being surrounded by girls most of the time—you then chose to test the waters on yuri."

"…yuri?"

"Yep! In normal terms, it's a lesbian relationship."

_Right on the money?!_

She found herself speechless for quite a while. Just what was this all-too-convenient situation? The girl who just saw through her whole plan was the same person who knew nothing about Mari and Akko's relationship! It didn't add up…

"Silence means yes."

Satoko crossed her arms in an attempt to regain composure. "So? Are you accepting my proposal then?"

"No." Tamami flat-out replied, an easy-going smile went with it.

And now she was rejected. What in the world? It was one thing to be rejected by the person you love, but being rejected by someone who reads manga as a hobby, totally disturbed her. She was doing charity here! The midget was supposed to feel grateful that even someone straight and beautiful as her wanted to give her a chance at a relationship! …okay, that last thought was probably too conceited of her, but being shot down like that was so uncalled for! She was never ever rejected since elementary! So easily too! What's more, the way the otaku's face smiled effortlessly like that really, really annoyed her for some reason. Who does she think she is?

"…why not?" Was all she ever managed to say, however.

"Well, first of all, you hate otaku. Second, I don't want to be used for something I don't get benefit on. Third, it's a prerequisite for an event that seals the real deal!" She explained almost excitedly, doing hand gestures to emphasize her point.

"Please speak Japanese, I beg you." The curly haired woman deadpanned.

"See, that's another reason why we can't be together as 'that'. Half of what I say won't mean anything to you!" A lighthearted giggle was made.

_That didn't stop us from being friends, did it?_

An unsettled look rested on the Sugiyama lady, her reasons made sense, but she couldn't let it go. It bothered her that she can easily and blithely turn something like that down. It was kind of an opportunity—something she might gain something from, yet she refused it readily. Truthfully, she was increasingly worried about Tamamin ever since the two of them entered their second year. Sure, they went together on mixers, but there was never a time when the girl actually gave attention to any of the boys. This, of course, doesn't eliminate the possibility of her having too high a standard regarding the men she dates, but…does it really take this long to find a relationship? Nothing of that sort ever happened to her! She always had it easy. …thinking about it, her case was that of collecting boyfriends rather than settling romantically. Was that what her friend wanted? After all they've been through; Satoko realized she never really had a good introspect of what her pigtailed companion liked, disliked and just assumed—a whole lot.

"Ahh, I'm a bit tired…and hungry. Why don't we sit down over there for a while, Sugi-san? If you don't mind, that is." She added as she pointed the nearby bench little ways away from the main park. "You can go ahead if you want."

Ignoring the last statement, she asked. "You haven't eaten yet?" She led the way to the bench, a gesture to disprove the shorter girl of her nonchalant insistence to have her leave.

"Uh…not yet. Haha…I was planning to, when I get home. There was this anime I was planning to watch earlier on, but I decided to just give up on it for now." Scratching the back her head was an action she used when explaining an action that was not very appealing for an excuse.

_That's why you looked like you were in a hurry earlier on…?_

"Hey…did I perhaps…prevent you from accomplishing that?"

"Hnn? What do you mean?"

"Well…I appeared out of nowhere, stopped you on your way, and bothered you about my nonsense…"

"Eh? No, don't worry about it! I couldn't make it anyway even if I reached the station now. The trip takes at least twenty minutes from here to Korakuen, and we're not even talking about a rush hour. Haha."

"That's true, but…"

"I had it set to record too! …I think. So don't worry about it, Sugi-san. Besides," A V-sign was made from her right hand. "Anime is something that doesn't leave you when you neglect it. Friends are different. They should be treasured to the best of one's ability!"

Holding in a burst of laughter, she smiled. It was a first, since her smiles earlier weren't hearty as it was now. She must have picked that up straight from a shounen manga, but she didn't care. Tamami never failed to say things that made her all warm and fuzzy, it was so strange. Reaching the bench, both girls sat and beamed at each other. It was rare for them to be like this, but Satoko liked it. She was learning more about her friend that she once took for granted.

"…Tama-chan? Is that you, Tama-chan?" A guy who magically appeared out of nowhere asked in their direction. He had a slightly long hair tied into a low ponytail, his facial features were quite feminine, and he wore clothing that looked like something a butler would wear.

"Ohh! Hey there, Sugiura-kun!" Tamami cheerfully greeted, she stood up and approached the man while holding her hand up animatedly.

"Wow, look at you! Cute as ever, I see." The boy cajoled.

"What are you saying~? You're the one who looks gorgeous, ya know! And you speak like we haven't seen each other in years!" The petite girl landed a playful punch on the guy's shoulder.

Completely ignored, Satoko stared blankly at the two of them. Was this the otaku way of flirting? It was way too early for this…then again, it was already past 9:30, so that was an exaggeration on her part. But really, what was it with this guy? His actions totally gave him off! The way he smiled idiotically at the mention of his name, the way he twitched positively at the slight contact between them, and the way his eyes wandered all over the lass's body… it was so easy to figure out that he was interested in Tamami. She knew all of this, for this was how her boyfriends looked and acted towards her. It was quite unnerving, now that she thought about it. And now this guy—she didn't like him, not one teensy bit. Why was her friend even acquainted with this pervert?

"Oh, that's right! Sugiura-kun, I want you to meet my very good friend, Sugiyama Satoko-san!"

At this, the girl stood up and offered a hand. Not really noticing that she was giving off an ominous aura as she did so. "A _pleasure_ to meet you, Sugiura-kun." She stated venomously.

"Su…Sugiura Mamoru…y-yoroshiku…desu." The guy answered shakily as he took the girl's hand carefully.

The eerie atmosphere kept on, and Mamoru was sure his hand was being gripped a little too tightly.

"My! Aren't you getting along already!" Tamami cut in, looking satisfied from her place near them.

_No, we're not. _It would be interesting if she heard both parties saying that outright.

Once the introductory gestures were over, the long haired man immediately excused himself. Now she really wondered how intimidating she looked to have him leave abruptly like that. For all she knew, the guy would stick around longer just to interact more with Tamami. The moment he was out of sight, a series of chuckles entered her unsuspecting ears.

"Would you look at that? He more or less fell for you already, Sugi-san!" The auburn haired girl claimed proudly.

_Quite the opposite, my dear._

Satoko sighed and returned to her seat on the bench, the other girl followed suit, a fleeting look of concern accompanied her face. She didn't notice this before, but she felt exhausted. A lot of thinking in just one day was rather taxing, she found out. Most of it the fault of this oblivious person next to her—well, at least that's what she thought. At any rate, she refuses to accept rejection. It dents her clean record. She went all this way too; she can't turn her back now. Not as a loser, she won't.

"Just so you know, I'm persisting with my earlier scheme." She voiced casually.

Tamami looked like she heard the funniest joke in the world as she said; "Whaaat? Seriously?"

"Surprisingly, yes. I'm serious." _Or rather, I hate being rejected. By YOU of all people, bugs me._

She scratched her cheek with her index finger in confusion. "C'mon, there are other girls out there! Prettier too! Why'd it have to be me?"

"You think a random girl would just say yes and date me if I asked them so suddenly?"

"It's not impossible. You're very pretty, you know? And hey! Does that mean you think I'd automatically say yes if you asked?!"

"I did not say that."

"You implied it."

"Did not."

"Yes you did."

"I did not think of that, okay? I want it to be you because I know you'd understand. You're my friend and…we've kissed at least a hundred times." Satoko slowly pointed out, blushing at her own words. The reasoning was random, but if it meant a more solid basis for the girl to comply…

Tamami stared. "Eh…what?"

"…you're a kissing monster when you're drunk."

"I…I know that! But you become drunk before I do! How would you know that?"

"Akko tells the tale."

"You believe her?!"

"…you've forgotten we've kissed in photo booths too?"

"Those were counted?"

"_**Can you please focus? **_We're straying from the point here."

"Y-yes ma'am…"

The more slender of the two sighed, for the umpteenth time that day. She did not know how long Mari and Akko took before they got together, but she was sure that they had a very long and painful time doing so. Did it really take a whole while to have a person say yes to play-pretend? It was so frustrating; her pride couldn't let it pass. Looking back, the girl was a complete train wreck when the topic of kissing was brought up. Was she perhaps touchy about it? If yes, then why? There really are a lot of things she's yet to know about her otaku friend.

"So then, work with me. This will be good practice for you until you find a boyfriend."

"I won't exactly get one if they found out I'm with a girl…"

"…I really won't take no for an answer."

Tamami sighed—if she was right—in defeat. She had placed her trump card into play; there was no way she could deny her victory now.

"Listen, Sugi-san. I would love to help you, but this really won't work out. So I'm really sorry…no."

Oh well, at least she tried—it was her entire fault to misinterpret the girl's claim to friendship all this time anyway. "…how would you know that? You haven't even tried." And yet she pursued on, for some weird and inexplicable reason.

"C'mon, I'm doing you a favor here! You're really better off with someone normal. Who wants to date an otaku?"

Somehow, she disliked the way the girl reflexively demeaned herself. "Do you really think I mind that? Have you forgotten that I chose specifically you for this particular thing? At least feel a little more confident about it."

A protracted and piercing silence plagued the both of them as they stared at each other stubbornly.

"…fine! I give!" Hands thrown in the air, the girl finally agreed—in exasperation.

There was another long and unnatural pause after the supposed climax of this _painstaking story. GAD._

"…really?"

"Yes. Really! Are you happy now?" The tone was sarcastic, but overwhelmed.

Satoko had won the long battle. So instead of answering, she rewarded herself a hug.

"S-Sugi-san?!"

"Don't bore me. Okay, Tamamin?"

"What are you—

"Shh. You're supposed to kiss me now."

"K-k-ki-kiss…?!" All color left the poor lass except for a very vibrant red.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Don't look so stricken."

She thought that there was little chance of her becoming bored if she were to keep up with the bid—and was she so right about that. As it is, the girl's reaction alone was something to be amused about. She knew it was dicey, and she did have a really hard time in convincing the reluctant girl to coincide with her proposition. But there was finally something out of the ordinary and motivating to look forward to every day. As of now, things are looking up to be very interesting. The risk was indeed worth taking.

"We have to make a deal here, Sugi-san. Just in case." Tamami began, after quite a struggle of recapturing her lost poise.

"Sure. What is it?"

"We must promise not to get too carried away."

"Meaning…?" Satoko kind of knew where she was getting at, but in case she was wrong…

"Meaning we can't fall in love with each other." She shakily but seriously clarified.

Placing a hand on her lips, she gave a genial laugh. "You're so funny, Tamamin. You needn't worry about that. Of course I won't."

"Same here. And I did say _just in case_."

"Now then, about that kiss…"

"C-cut it out, Sugi-san!"

---

In the past, staying up late was something she dreaded. It meant a lot of things were to flop—waking up early, paying attention in class, doing her work efficiently, preventing herself from falling asleep in the subway train… It really took a lot from her. But now, all those things were the least of her worries. If there was one thing that urgently mattered now, it was her great effort to keep herself awake. There were only three days until their second month (together), and she still hadn't finished knitting that scarf. Risking the possibility of obvious eye bags, sleeping in class, and other things, Mari determinedly got back to work, embroidering the silky blue threads in slow succession.

She wasn't sure if Akko had realized this bit of info, but she was still going to finish the scarf anyway. If there was another way of showing the girl how much she loved her, perhaps this was it. She wouldn't give up now. Just then, her phone started ringing. There was only one person who would call at this hour, and she doesn't usually do so. She pressed a button and placed the device near her left ear. "Good evening, Akko."

["Mari! Thank goodness you're awake!"]

"Huh? Why? Did you need something?"

There was a giggle from the other line. ["Nothing, really. I just wanted to hear your voice before I went to sleep."]

Despite her efforts, she blushed deeply at her girlfriend's bold statement. "Th…that's nice."

["Mou…I miss you so much already…it's a killer, you know?"]

"I know what you mean…I-I feel the same…"

["I'll be having a good sleep then! Hehe! Good night, Mari. Sweet dreams! I love you."]

"I love you too!" She hoped she didn't sound too enthusiastic while she said that.

A quick 'click' was heard after a key was pressed. Smiling, Mari set down her phone. Tonight was going to be a sleepless endeavor, she decided.

………

_**To be continued…**_

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Wooow, the page count is the same, but the word count isn't. =)) Anyway, for those words you didn't get it…

Yoroshiku (onegai shimasu) – Is a way to say; "Nice to meet you."

Desu – I can't explain well, but it means "to be" or "is". Their sentence structure is different though, so it's at the end of the sentence.

So yeah, that's it for the second chapter! XD


	3. Chapter 3

Gosh, I really like this person. Someone who can stand playing in Lunatic (I can't, lol) AND read Negima is a guaranteed bundle of awesome. 8DDD

Thanks for letting me publish this. ^^

-o0o0o0o-

Wheeeew. This one took quite some time, huh…urgh. I keep being distracted *cough*Touhou*cough* lately. XD The anime lineup for winter looks veery interesting too, so you can guess the reason for the delay. =)) Also, if you guys haven't read Negima, YOU MUST! XD …ahem, sorry for the blatant advertising. XD I just got back from beating UFO (Touhou, again XD) in Lunatic mode (hehe, the word is so fitting). Moving along, here's the third chapter. 8DDD Enjoy? X3

**Note: **_Italicized_ words are usually for thoughts in my works…the ones inside quotation marks are for flashbacks of something though. XD And the ones in between normal sentences are probably just for emphasis. XD I use italic a lot, huh? =))

* * *

"_So…how long will this go for?" _

_They were more or less nearing Shinagawa Station when Tamami spoke up to ask. She successfully broke the ice around their relatively sudden silence over their holding of hands—which by the way, was her own suggestion to compensate for her inability to agree kissing the other girl. It took a while to convince._

"_Um…" Satoko murmured after quite a long pause._

_She sweatdropped before saying; "You didn't plan this too well, huh? …maa, I guess I can understand though. This being experimental and all." _

_Highly aware of her reflexes all of a sudden, she felt her interlocked hand loosen. She hoped the tense air wasn't too obvious for the otaku to catch—otherwise, her half-baked plans would be revealed. After all, who would agree to even help the already absurd idea that was mostly fueled for the reason that rejection did not sit too well with her—and that her couple scheme was only an overwhelming influence by a close friend's seemingly happy relationship…not to mention her admittedly exaggerated analyzing of the girl's declaration to their friendship. _

"_We can't still be going out after five months, that's for sure. You'd definitely grow tired of playing lesbians by then. Haha." Tamami laughingly stated, not showing any signs of notice over her obvious reactions._

"…_is it a laughing matter? You sound so sure too…" She asked in attempts of covering up what's left of her blunder._

"_Call it common otaku knowledge, my dear! There are shoujo manga where themes about experimenting one's sexual orientation are tackled. More often than not, the bishoujo will start as a gender-confused teen. With this dilemma, she will try to date women in order to find her identity. It will go on for a while until the immaturity is realized. She grows out of it, and will eventually fall for a guy like she's supposed to!" The girl seriously but enthusiastically narrated. "You're the type to fall in that trope, Sugi-san."_

"…_you're calling me immature?" Satoko immediately asked, trying to absorb the girl's long-winded and word-boggling fiction. _

"_E-eh, um—_

"_And let me get this straight, aren't you a fan of…what was that…yuri?"_

"_Well, er, yes…sorta."_

"_That's not the same with shoujo?"_

"_No…shoujo's more focused on the romance…"_

"_Huh? Isn't yuri just the same?" She can't believe she was actually getting the gist of it._

_Scratching her cheek, she replied; "Oh…the difference is that shoujo is…uh, straight. And yuri is—you get the point." _

"_Then what happens in yuri? Do they stick together until the end?" _

"_I haven't read much yuri, to be honest. The ones I've read have that kind of ending though…but since the relationship is pretty taboo, I guess they don't end too well…" She shrugged one second and looked thoughtful after another. "…although, the ending depends frequently on the theme used…like, they fall in love not because they are young, but because it was the most natural thing that could happen, and they just know it —um, why are you asking about this again?" _

"_I…it's your geek-speak! You expect me to get it in one go?"_

---

One would think that after cosplaying here and there, her confidence was finely placed on a certain level already. She figured that was not generally the case, so even having years of time spent with her; there were still things that are yet to be revealed. It wasn't a recent discovery, but the fact that her stubbornness was a force to be reckoned with was something she did not expect—especially from her. Who would have thought Tamami was so shy? Getting a kiss or two was like fighting for a war.

"What's the point in becoming a couple if you won't even kiss me?" Satoko pouted.

"Give me time, Sugi-san! It's not that easy!" The pigtailed girl reasoned, her face visibly reddened.

It was their second week together. Normally, something other than dating and flirting would have happened already. It was like that with ALL of her relationships. But ironically, the things they did were nothing less of what they did as friends. It made her question if they were really a couple. Sure, they went shopping, watched movies—they even imitated Mari and Akko's trademark deed of matching cellphone straps. Despite her love of mixers, the things they did weren't half bad. It wasn't boring, nor was it too fun—if anything, she just felt a little…exasperated. Deem her a fool for thinking so, but while they were only under the pretense of being lovers, it didn't mean that she—or they, should be deprived of experimenting thoroughly…right?

"What's not easy? We just press our lips against each other and—

"Ahh! I know that! Don't say it!" Her kissing-monster tendencies were bad enough—especially since she remembered absolutely NONE of it—so it was at least encouraging to hold onto her wish of a romantic 'first kiss'. Sure, they've kissed before, heck—she's kissed even Akko—but those were for photo booth purposes!

"I won't use my tongue, promise…"

Having just themselves inside the karaoke booth was for the best. The woman was just _asking_ for a scandal with all those extreme requests…it's as if she was awfully drunk. Sighing, the petite lady seated herself in defeat on one of the couches. She knew Sugi-san was aggressive, but she never saw this behavior during mixers! It wasn't too staggering but it wasn't normal either. Was she like this with her boyfriends? What were they doing here this early anyway? All those thinking made her extremely thirsty.

"A-anyway, why don't you pick another song already? We're here to sing you know."

Just as she was going to drink a glass, her companion's whiny voice resonated; "What's with you…so cold…" Picking up the microphone, the taller woman bit her lip. "You even said you'll love me forever…"

"HUH?! When did I…"

Alarmed, she inspected the contents of the glass the other girl held…

"Alcohol?!" Placing the drink down, she faced the culprit. "Sugi-san! How did you--mmf!"

A blouse was unexpectedly thrown at her face, effectively stopping her from continuing her interrogation. Taking the object away, another piece of clothing flew near her. _This could only mean one thing_—her guess was answered as she saw her friend clad on only her lacy, black bra and cotton miniskirt now. _She's drunk! And stripping!_

"I felt so lonely all this time you know~ I've been waiting and waiting…and now you're breaking up with me?!" Her string of words were inconsistent and nonsensical, she was producing tears every time she spoke too.

"E-eh…no! Of course not!" Tamami replied in panic. "And please don't remove your skirt!"

"…so you love me?"

"Erm…yes?"

"Are you sure?"

"Um…yes?"

"Do you swear it?"

"Geez! I already said yes!"

"Then swear iiittt!!"

"Fine! I swear that I love you!" Waiting for a reaction, she carefully observed her friend lower her head. She stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity that Tamami thought everything was over with—until she found herself pounced and pushed back to the couch.

"That's a good girl…" She purred.

"Wh-wha?! Sugi-san?!"

Giggling in hush tones, the drunken girl moved closer, a lopsided grin emanating her flushed expression. Both her hands were nicely pinned to both her sides in what seemed like a colossal feat for the Sugiyama lady. She tried budging, she really did, but there was little to nothing she could do as the blonde's lips were nearing her own. As her last gesture of retaliation, she shut her eyes tight, teary as it was. The sound of karaoke music drowned in her ears in a fading manner—she just hoped the other girl wouldn't regret this later. To begin with, having a go at this fake couple kiss was not something Sugi-san would actually enjoy, especially since it involved herself.

"Kiiih…"

Strangely, even after a couple of minutes have passed, nothing of the sort she expected befell upon her. There was, however, a questionable weight that kept her to her position. Slowly, she opened her eyes—only to see the inebriated girl fast asleep on top of her, her fluffy hair tickling her neck in the process. She sighed in relief; silently thanking the alcohol was strong enough to have the girl lose consciousness before she made any more rash things.

But now, a much bigger problem was at hand. There was just the two of them, inside a moderate sized karaoke booth. Both of them were on the couch, on top of each other. One was only on her bra while the other squinted beneath her, looking as if she was thoroughly feeling the softness of her chest. It was not a sight that anyone would just brush off or figure out in just one look. The possible scenes played in her mind like a film, and no matter what, none of it looked good for the both of them. It was actually fine if it was just her—she was often mistaken as a lesbian due to her fixation on yuri cosplay and manga anyway. But the girl atop her was someone she imagined to be the center of misshapen gossip due to her popularity and appearance. That was not good…she needed to wake her friend up and get the two of them out of the awkward position.

"Hey, Sugi-san," She shook her shoulder gently. "Wake up. C'mon…"

The girl only stirred, but otherwise stayed in her position, looking peculiarly comfortable.

"Come on…wake up already!"

After a few good minutes of shakes and nudges, the girl fluttered her eyes open.

"…what are you doing?" She asked in a rather groggy tone.

"That's _my _line, dummy." Tamami sweatdropped. "In any case, could you please get off me? You're not light."

Groaning, Satoko stood up and sluggishly moved away. It wasn't noticeable earlier, but the room was pretty cold—oh.

"…I was drunk." It was a statement more than a question.

The auburn haired girl could only nod in reply, which in turn the wavy haired woman took as a cue to blush and feel embarrassed. She does not redden or feel discomfiture easily, especially not over something this simple. Her vision was a bit hazy, but she could tell that she made quite a racket given the atmosphere, their snacks, the drinks and Tamami's disheveled hair. Surreptitiously, she thanked the gods for her fast rate in sobering up—and that she was not with a guy this whole time. Heaven forbid what sort of things would fall upon her if that were the case.

"Just try recovering your vision for the moment, Sugi-san. I'll handle the rest."

Unaware that she was visibly shivering from the chill, she watched her petite friend stand up to place her slightly furry jacket over her own shoulders wordlessly. She then started to collect her tossed clothing from the ground. Once done, the girl walked towards the table to pour a glass of water—probably for herself. It was expected, as she must have had a hard time putting up with the _atypical_ and perhaps unreasonable actions she exhibited earlier. In a daze, she settled to just watch her gulp it down. But instead, she found the glass now resting on her hands, waiting to be consumed. It could be her lingering drunken stupor, or the sudden warmth of the air, but she was astounded at how calm and uncomplaining the otaku was the whole time. Her eyes displayed nothing but concern and understanding, almost as if the string of events were a normal occurrence to her.

"…thanks." She worded slowly, slipping in her shirt to cover her flushed face.

"Hehe, no problem. It's part of the job too, you know?"

The alcohol must still be in effect if she did not get what the otaku meant by what she said. "Eh…?"

Playing with a strand of hair, Tamami murmured. "Well…you know—girlfriends…? Honestly, I can't get used to that term…"

Satoko couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of a timid and fiddling Tamamin. Her cuteness spoke volumes at that very moment…so much that she had an urge to just hug her then and there.

Before that was accomplished however, the room chimed a loud "PING-PONG!" that indicated their expired time of usage of the karaoke booth. Given the automatic opening of the door, both girls got out of the booth, their eyes glued interestingly on the perfectly swept marbled tiles.

"…let's continue our date?" Tamami carefully suggested.

…

It was possibly just their luck that the rain poured just as they were headed for the shopping center around Ikebukuro, but since that wasn't the case, the necessary equipment for this uncalled weather—in autumn no less—was not prepared whatsoever. Waiting for the rain to let up, Satoko realized that was not the entirely true for the both of them, as Tamami pulled raincoat out of her oversized bag.

"You knew it was going to rain?" She asked, staring funnily at the green apparel.

"Not really…but I always tend to over-pack things up when I'm heading out…ehehe." Unfolding was quite an effort, as it was big enough to shelter two people, the pigtailed lass realized.

"It comes in handy, surprisingly. …so, you brought a manga, I assume?"

"Eh…? No…"

Now that was something to contemplate about. "…Why?"

"Well, I figured you wouldn't like me to bring one…especially on dates."

"Oh…" She couldn't tell if she was supposed to be flattered or worried, but she felt it was bordering on the latter. Was she pulling Tamami away from the things she enjoyed? Come to think of it, the last time she ever mentioned anything otaku-ish was when they formed a deal to become an item. She did not remember another time after that.

"It's ready now, Sugi-san!"

"Huh?"

"The rain doesn't show any sign of stopping at the moment and we can't wait under this bus stop forever. I'd say we use this and move someplace else, ne?"

"…but that thing looks so geeky…" Satoko commented dryly, eying the blue haired girl riding on some robot thingy that was printed on the clothing.

"Um…it's better than nothing?" She weakly argued. It was a bad idea after all.

"…but I guess we have no choice. Let's go, Tamamin."

Before anything was said, the shorter one felt her raincoat draped above her head. Looking up, she saw the taller girl holding her end in place. Smiling a bit, she held the other end and signaled that they were ready to take on the downpour.

The rain wasn't that strong, so the trip was more or less a pleasant one. The two girls managed to keep themselves dry until they found a reasonable place for shelter. Upon their success of reaching a local family restaurant, someone caught Tamamin's keen eye.

"Isn't that Akko?" She pointed out casually.

Following the girl's arm with her eyes, she soon saw their chestnut haired friend rooted to a wall at a nearby candy store; her look was that of someone who just had her most favorite thing stolen. She was pouting and had her arms crossed—a rare sight for an ever cheerful individual such as Akko. Taking into consideration the past episodes of counseling towards her, the only thing that can make her lose face like that was something that concerned Mari. So then, was it right to approach her at this time? Would it—

"Hey~ Akko!" Tamami called out and waved a hand.

…_that could work too, I guess._

Looking at their direction, the hazel-eyed maiden's features lit up. "Tamamin! Sugi-san! Hey there!"

"Man, from where I was, you looked totally scary! Is something up?"

"E-eh? …I looked scary?"

"Yeah, you had this really serious face," She made a face that was meant to resemble the other girl's face earlier, only to fail horribly that it ended up looking like a bloated blowfish. "If it wasn't for your hair, I would have thought you were a delinquent!"

"Is…is that so…" Was Akko's weedy response.

Satoko kept quiet and just watched both girls engage in conversation, all the while studying what might have transpired before they got there. From the looks of it, whatever happened between them, took place very recently.

"So, what are you doing here Akko? Not with Mari-chin today?" Her brown eyes sparked ignorantly as she asked. On the other hand, the girl in question tensed up in reaction.

"…no. She…er, left."

"Oh, so you were with her earlier?"

Being kept in the dark didn't seem to be a problem for the insensitive Tamami. She totally discarded the mood and the little gestures the former did to make her stray from the topic. Unfortunately, she couldn't get the hint. Heaven forgive her, but Satoko tried her best not to laugh out loud at how her girlfriend's tactlessness could make Akko come up with hilarious and distorted faces of panic, embarrassment and awkwardness all at the same time. Even she needed to wait for opportunities to pull that off.

_I actually called Tamamin my girlfriend…?_

"Yeah…but…um…" Akko tried to say, breaking her brief moment of realization. "We…we fought today."

"Eh—

"WHAT???" Satoko didn't care if she made a racket, nor did she mind to even keep her initial idea of staying quiet and have Tamami unknowingly grill out the details in check. That very issue was too much of a shock. The depressing weather didn't help in the slightest either…just what caused them to be in this mess?

………

_**To be continued…**_

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Awright, I guess this will do for this chapter. The word count is still inconsistent, but the page count is the same. 8DDD Oh, "Kiiihh…" back there is some kind of reaction (Japanese-exclusive, in my opinion) that is expressed when making your face avoid contact into something…

…um, so yeah.

Mother is threatening me that she'll thrash my laptop if I don't stop typing. =)) Note that this isn't proofread so it freakin sucks and I haven't really checked for errors. XD But I'll get to that once I'm done hiding the lappie from mother.


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